Week 16 Every NFL Pro Football Team Power Rankings

Twas the week of Christmas and all through the land, everyone was watching as to where they would land... That is the NFL Pro Football Power Rankings! Let's see who are the hot teams going into Christmas.

1. The Green Bay Packers (13-1)- With the loss to Kansas City behind them, The Packers can focus on the spiraling Bears. However, with the injuries to key linemen Bryan Bulaga and Derek Sherrod along with Greg Jennings out for the next three weeks, The Packers will have their work cut out for them... but still retain the number one ranking.

2. The New Orleans Saints (11-3)- The NFL's most explosive offense puts the Saints in the number 2 position on the poll. What separates the Saints from the other top teams is that their running game with Darren Sproles and Pierre Thomas and Chris Ivory is highly effective and can be relied upon each week to put up points.


3. The San Francisco 49ers (11-3)-The NFL's stingiest defense came up big on Monday Night Football. This defense has yet to give up a rushing TD this season. When MLB Patrick Willis gets healthy, they will get even tougher. The team does have offensive woes, but the defense will win championships if they keep playing at this level.

4. The New England Patriots (11-3)- There is no doubt that New England is a good team. As the Patriots showed after a tough first half against the Broncos, this team finds ways to win and held Denver to only 10 points. Losing DE Andre Carter will be tough on this not so stellar defense, but Tom Brady and the offense can certainly carry this team.

5. The Pittsburgh Steelers (10-4)- Pittsburgh's worst enemy on Monday Night Football was themselves. Ben Roethlisberger was clearly in pain and could not maneuver in and out of the pocket to bring on his "A game". As a result, there were two picks and a fumble which gave the 49ers a distinct advantage. This team is still in the playoffs and retains a top 5 power ranking as they square off on a short week to play the St.Louis Rams.

6. The Baltimore Ravens (10-4)- What puts the Ravens at #6 rather than in the top 5 is the loss to the San Diego Chargers. Granted, San Diego is one of the hotter teams right now in the NFL, but by no means are they the calibre of team that the 49ers are. The Ravens struggled to defend against River's passing game. The game against Cleveland this week will be most welcomed by the Ravens.

7. The Houston Texans (10-4)- Houston, we have a problem... Defensive Coordinator Wade Phillips is in the hospital and the defense looked lost without him against Carolina. TJ Yates has done a great job filling in for Matt Schaub, but struggled against Carolina. However this team is playoff bound and has earned the number 7 ranking.

8. The Atlanta Falcons (9-5)- Atlanta was en fuego last Thursday night against the lowly Jaguars. It looks like Matt Ryan has it together with his offense featuring Harry Douglas, Roddy White and Julio Jones. However, this week they play the Saints and face a Greg Williams defense that gives up points, but also wins games. This will be tough for Atlanta, but this team is worthy of staying in the top 10.

9. The Detroit Lions (9-5)- Detroit with Suh back from suspension played stellar defense and "Megatron" Calvin Johnson was too much for the Raiders to handle. This is a much improved team over last years model, but they still need to develop a running game.

10. The Dallas Cowboys (8-6)- Tony Romo put on an impressive performance against the Buccaneers last Saturday going 23 of 30 for 249 yards and three TDs. With all of Romo's weapons back... Miles Austin, Dez Bryant, Jason Whitten and Felix Jones shouldering the load, this team will go far.

11. The Denver Broncos (8-6)- The Broncos faced one of the toughest teams in pro football and were schooled as to what they need to do to win. Tim Tebow has the makings of a great QB and has carried this team to the 8-6 record. Denver needs to focus on holding onto the ball and putting up points as the defense showed that it could not keep pace against Tom Brady and the Patriots.

12. The Cincinnati Bengals (8-6)- The Bengals kept their playoff hopes alive with a narrow victory last week over the Rams. Andy Dalton's Rookie Campaign has been made successful by the likes of AJ Green who he hooked up with for 115 yards. This is a long season and injuries make it longer. It will be interesting to see how the Bengals fare against a surging Cardinals team.

13, The New York Jets (8-6)- Just when you want to like the Jets, they have a poor week and completely fall apart. WR Santonio Holmes fumbled a ball that was returned for a TD. In addition to that, he also tipped a pass that was intercepted and had a celebration penalty late in the game which also cost them.

14. The Seattle Seahawks (7-7)- Pete Carroll has this team surging once again. Marshawn Lynch and Tavaris Jackson are coming in on their own right now and the offense is finding a nice rhythm. If Lynch can find the endzone against the 49ers this week, the Seahawks may be for real.

15. The Arizona Cardinal (7-7)- Under the QB leadership of John Skelton, the Cardinals are finding ways to win. Although this team will not make the playoffs, the defense is playing very well and coming up with big plays.

16. The San Diego Chargers (7-7)- Just when you think the Chargers are dead in the water, suddenly everyone gets healthy and they make a run for it. If the Chargers continue to win out, they could make the playoffs- and with Vincent Jackson, Antonio Gates, and Ryan Mathews healthy, this could be a very tough match up.

17. The New York Giants (7-7)- The Giants looked lifeless and emotionally drained last week. However, this team is mentally tough and could put up a very big game against the Jets. The Giants defense is tough and Manning can put up big numbers. This team needs to stay focused on making the playoffs.

18. The Philadelphia Eagles (6-8) -The Eagles need to win on Saturday against Dallas and the Jets need to beat the Giants... Then- if the Giants beat the Cowboys on Week 17, the Eagles will win the division as all the teams will have an 8-8 record and a #4 seed in the playoffs! Stay focused Philadelphia... stay focused!

19. The Oakland Raiders (7-7)- What was the defensive coordinator thinking of not covering Calvin Johnson? Especially with 2:14 left in the game and a slim lead! This is why the Raiders are at #19 in the NFL Power Rankings.

20. The Tennessee Titans (7-7)- I may get some criticism here putting the Titan above the Bears, especially when they lost to a win less team last week. However, the Titans are a better team and Jake Locker is playing very well. This is a team that will rebound.

21. The Chicago Bears (7-7)- I take back all my praise in the past for Caleb Haine. Without Forte and Cutler and now Johnny Knox, this team will be lucky to win another game this season.

22. The Carolina Panthers (5-9)- The Panthers wore down the Texans last week and with Cam Newton's smart style at QB, this team is on the rise.

23.The Washington Redskins (5-9)- Even though Washington destroyed the Giants last week, the victory was not so much about how well the Redskins played. Rather it was about how awful the Giants became in that game. Until Washington finds a consistent running back, expect low rankings for this team yearly.

24. The Kansas City Chiefs (6-8)- Romeo Crennel has found his QB in Kyle Orton as David slew Goliath in the win over the Packers. This team does have some life left in it and has too many good players to be down for long.

25. The Miami Dolphins (5-9) - Reggie Bush is making a name for himself as a primary back. His play against Buffalo last week was a flashback of how he played at USC. The Dolphins put up 448 yards of offense last week. It will be interesting to see how they fare against the Patriots.

26. The Buffalo Bills (5-9)- Oh how the mighty have fallen! The once king of the AFC East is now in danger of losing 8 in a row. The loss to Miami last week was tough. Buffalo needs to get back to basics and develop a better offensive strategy or Denver may best them this week!

27. The Cleveland Browns (4-10)- Seneca Wallace- a true backup QB- looked better than Colt McCoy. This team needs to get help fast and find a tough QB for the future who can win games...RG3 looks very tempting for this team right now!

28. The Jacksonville Jaguars (4-10)- This team ran up against a surging Atlanta team last week. MJD played well and had over 100 yards rushing. However, Blaine Gabbert needs to step it up as he has been struggling all season, especially if they want to have a chance against the Titans this week.

29. The Minnesota Vikings (2-12)- There is nothing positive to report here when Toby Gearhart leads the team in receptions, receiving yardage and touchdowns. Christian Ponder is still a work in progress.

30. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-10)-Can it get any worse for Tampa Bay? Josh Freeman has had an abysmal year and the defense got obliterated by the Cowboys last Sunday. This team needs much work.

31. The St.Louis Rams (2-12)- The Rams did a nice job hanging in against the Bengals. However, this team needs wide receivers and better QB play. In short, they need more talent.

32. The Indianapolis Colts (1-13)- Even blind squirrels find nuts from time to time. This team is still in the hunt for Luck!